Improvement in fire-arms



W. W. MARSTON.

Revolver. 4 N0. 13,581.. Patentedept. I8, 1855.

UNIT'ED STATES- PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM W. MARSTON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN FIRE-ARMS.

Speoification forming part of Letters Patent N0. 13,581, dated September 18, 1855.

T0 all whom it mag; concern:

Be it kuown that I, WILLIAM W. MARSTON, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented, made, and applied t0 use aertain new and useful Improvements in Revolving Fire-Arms; and I d0 hereby deolare that the following is a full, olear, und exaot descrip-.

' with 1ny improvements, as witl1 the cap-plate aud side of the handle removed. Fig. 2 is a orosssection als the line a, and Fig. 3 is a longitudinal seciion through the spindle carrying the revolving barrels. 'lhe other figures are' separately referred to, and thelike inarks of referenoe indieate the same parts.

The nature of my seid invention consists in mouuting two, three, or more barrels or 01mmbers on. a center spindle, which extends back into the stock of the piece, and is provided with cams, through whioh the trigger is made to rotate said barrels, the aot of doing which raises the hammer, so that the first pull of the trigger rotates the barrels about half the amount required and raises the hammer to half-00013 the second pull completes the 'motion within the smallest possible amount, raising the hamme r to full-cock, and the third pull, whioh is similar to a hair-trigger, turns the barrels the small amount to 'pass the eam from beneath the tumbler-piece of the hammer and discharge the arm.

In the drawings a, pistol is represented; but it will be evident that the same invention might be applied to revolving ohambers 0r breeches o1 barrels, and tha.t the number of said barrels or chambers may be varied.

b is the stock or handle, formed in any usual manner.

1 1 are the metallic straps from the stook to the metallio ohamber A, carrying the working parts. 2 isthe movable cover-plate of this chamber, attached by screws als 00 x.

0 are the barrels, fitted with sights 3 and cones 01 nipples 4, oommunicating to the respeotive barrels by cross-holes plugged als their outer ends. (See Fig. 4, which is a crosssection through seid eones.)

' 5 is a spin'dle centrally at the rear end oi' the barrels, either formed with or screwed iuto the rear end of the barrels, whieh euters into and tl1rough the block 6 in the chamber A, so that the said barrels and spindle can l)e freely ro tated. 011 thein1ier end ol' the spimlle a dischargingoam, d, is plaoed, formed with es many points as there are barrels in the piece, end keyed 0n; and next b ehind seid oam d is a f aceplate, e, formal with the nece -sztry projections used in rotating and stopping the barrel; and the screw i in the rear end of' the spindle 'secures the faoe-pI-ate end eam into plaoe, and a screw or pin, i, prevents the oam 0r faceplate from turning the one separa-fely from the ot-her.

fis the hammer, of any usual elzaraeter, sei: on a center-pin, 7, am! fitted with the bridle 8 to the mainspring g 9 is the elevating-tumbler 011 the under side of the hammer, whioh is so placed as to be acted 0n by means of the can 1 d in the manner hereinafter set l'orth.

h is the trigger on a. center-sorew, 10, end fitted with a sear, k, that is jointed to the rear end of the arm of said trigger, and provided with a spring, 11, passing up from beneath said arm, so as to l'orce the sear toward the faoe-plate e. 12 is a spring 150 throw the trigger forward.

lis the trigger-guard, as usual, and m is a shi'eld passing partly around the rear end of the barrel to pro tect the caps, end 14 is a noteh therein, through whioh seid caps oan be supplied or removed.

The operation of the piece is es follows: When it: is desired to use the same the trigger h is to be pulled on, which throws up the sear k, the end whereof takes the notoh behind the projeotiou 17, rotatin g the barrels until the stop 13 on the trigger comos against the stop 20 on the edge of the faoe-plate e, the aal; 0f doing whioh elevates the hammer, the tumbler 9 of which takes the half-oock notch 15. The trigger is then released to be thrown forward by the spring 12, whioh eauses the sear k to take the second projection, 18, and on pulling again on the trigger the barrels are moved nearly to the point 130 bring th e succeeding barrel into the same placeas that oeupied at the previous discharge of the piece. J1he stop 13 now takes against the 1owest notch of the double stops 2ln l Lhe hamn1er is raised to the full-coek noteh 16. If, now, the trigger be released, the sear k oannot desoend far enough to take the next projection, 17, so that on pulling the said trigger the sear slides over the back of seid projection nntil it eomes against the notoh 19, therehy turning the barrels just nough to a-1low Ehe tnmbler 9 to s.ip off the end of the cam als 16 and strike the cap on the oone 4 and discharge the piece. In this ease the stop 13 oomes in oontaot with Ehe stop 21 on the edge of the fnce-wheel, stopping the faxther rotation ot' the barrels, and the parts are ag-ain ready to be operated on, as before described, to disoharge the nexl; barrel 01 ohamber.

It will be evident that, if so desired, the hammet might be brought; np to the full-cook hy one pnll of 19he trigger; bnt I do not prefer the same.

On referenoe to Fig. 2 it. will he seen that; the sights on the barrel Which is in the position to be exploded are 013 a line elear of the side of the ehamher A, so vth2: the trigger. is 10 be pulled twioe end oh en the piece aimed by means of the sights, an l then oho slighl: pul1 of the trigger discharges the arm without; perceptible alemtion in the aim ox direction .of the harrel.

The hammer may be so formed that it ean he hold up by band while the eaps are being plaoed on the eones; 0x the barrels may be fitted with any converlient stop to prevent their aecidental rotation and the oonsequent firing of the piece; or any suita-h1e stop may he fitted to prevent the hammer deseending on the oaps, exoept when the stop is removed, and for this purpose a serew bhrough the 1mmmer itself, with a head that can be turned hy band, may be made use of to raise the hammer slightly fron1the nipples 01 cones and the caps on thern.

1 do not limita myse1f to ehe size or oharacter of arm fibted with 1ny improvements; neither do I make any olaim for rotating and eoeking a fire-arm simultaneously; neither do I claim the sear k to ach upward and rotate the barrels, as this is also well known; but

What; I elaim, and desire to secnre by Lettcrs Patent, is

1. Elevating the harnmer to coek am]. discharge ehe piece by means of a cam, d, revolving with the barrels or chamhers and formed with a's many points as there are barrels 01 oha-mbers, so that the hzunmer shall be raised end discharged by simply rotating said barrel's or ohamhers, as speoified.

2. The revolving face-plate e, formed with projeotion s 011 its face to take the sear k, and with notches 011 its edge taking oho stop 13 on the trigger, the two acting 'to rotate end stop the barrels at the precise point roqnired and prevent the strain 011 the trigger from turnin g the harrels too far, as speoified.

3. The mode herein speoified of'oonstruoting and fitting the parts of the oam d, face-plate e, trigger h, sear k, and sto'p 13, so that the hammer shall be oocked by one, two, oxmore pulls 011 the trigger, and then disoharged by another slight pnll ofthe trigger, in t-he manne1 and as speeified.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my sigt121ture this 6th day of August, 1855.

W. W. MARSTON. Witnesses:

LEMUEL W. SERREL, THOMAS G. HAROLD. 

